


Song of the Seine

by ShivaVixen



Series: Mominette AU [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Dolls AU, Found Family, Gen, Introducing Scales the Viperion doll, La’gaan gets adopted by the Couffaine’s, La’gaan is not having a good time, using the young justice tie in comics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26821297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShivaVixen/pseuds/ShivaVixen
Summary: La’gaan runs afoul of Ocean Master’s Purists, and escapes up river- only the river is the Seine, he’s technically not supposed to be in the city of lights, and his only allies are a woman with a houseboat, a model, a guy with a guitar and a doll that can see a minute into the future.The Couffaine’s were having a nice visit before a rampaging Akuma tossed an injured atlantean onto their boat.
Series: Mominette AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1642984
Comments: 15
Kudos: 126





	1. Introductory Melody

**Author's Note:**

> I liked Lagoon Boy in the original Young Justice comics, and I’m a little annoyed that, like Luka in Miraculous, they only used him as a second love interest.
> 
> Especially since the Young Justice tie in comics had a subplot where Orm was undermining Aquaman’s rule and encouraging violence against those Atlanteans that looked more fishlike than human.   
> (In fact, there’s a very important character we see believing in Ocean Master’s rhetoric who will show up later)

La’gaan was scared. He didn’t know where he was, and he had made the foolish mistake of leaving the sea and going into a river- if he wasn’t careful, Ocean Master’s hunters would catch him.

He just had to keep swimming until he found a place that he could hide.

He couldn’t believe that this was happening to him.

La’gaan had heard the rumors of course, that even after the rescue of Queen Mera the purists were still meeting and the ‘less pure’ atlanteans were still going missing.

The kings were looking into it, there was rumors that there was a traitor close to the high king, but no one knew anything for certain, and it seemed unlikely anyone would pull something in the palace.

So La’gaan had assumed he was safe when he went into the library to read.

He’d heard voices, arguing about the disappearances, and had moved to listen in. A guard was talking to one of his fellow students, telling them they had been selected for a hunt to prove himself to the Ocean Master.

He remembered accidentally knocking something over, but after that was blurry. 

La’gaan couldn’t go back the way he came, but he was most definitely lost- he didn’t even know where he was.

The water made his gills itch, it was polluted but the fish didn’t seem to mind.

Hopefully there was a hiding place that was less polluted. And then he could work on contacting Kaldur, who was somewhere on the surface. He also needed to remember who the guard had been talking to. 

He just needed to rest, first. 

La’gaan swam past plastic, surfacing just long enough to see he was in a city. 

A little bit further in, and La’gaan found a busted grate to swim through.

La’gaan was asleep the moment he settled down.

When La’gaan woke up, his side really hurt. The spear he’d thought he had dodged had scratched him, and it was probably infected. 

He also needed to eat and figure out where he was. He’d only learned English so far, and that was pretty basic.

La’gaan felt nauseated by the idea of eating any fish that swam in this water. 

He spent a while swimming through the various parts of the city, heading farther in so that his pursuers might not follow.

Every so often, he’d stick his head out of the water to listen to people.

He didn’t recognize some of the languages, but he did hear some English. Enough to figure out he was in Paris, France, where ever that was, (he probably should have picked surface geography instead of an extra study period) and that Superboy was working here now. (He couldn’t figure out what an ‘Akuma’ was, though he figured it was something bad.)

All he had to do now was wait for Superboy to visit, and Superboy could help him.

He was not expecting people to start yelling akuma and start running. Or to see some crazy boat with nets scooping up trash and fish and flinging them up onto the street.

And it was coming towards him. 

La’gaan scrambled to move, already exhausted and in pain.

He was swept up by the net and was thrown from the water onto a boat.

That was occupied. The occupants two women and one man just stared at him for a moment, before the younger woman with dark hair walked over to him.

She said something, before switching languages. “Do you speak English?”

“Yes.” He managed. Talking and breathing through his mouth at the same time was different. (He was glad he’d asked to start learning another language.)

“What happened?”

He told them about everything, at one point he was bundled into a towel and brought inside where he was fed and allowed to rinse off the horrible water. The younger woman, Juleka, got a first aid kit and patched his side.

“Stay here, they wouldn’t look for you here.” The older woman, Captain Anarka, suggested.

“Can you help me contact Superboy?”

“We can try to flag down one of our heroes, but after this akuma is taken care of, it’s going to be a while before they come this way.” The young man, Luka, explained. “Superboy hasn’t been summoned for this one.” He gestured to the television set, which had footage of the akuma and two people fighting it.

“Oh. Okay.” La’gaan blinked. Now that he was clean and safe, he was starting to have trouble staying awake.

“He can have my old bed.” Juleka offered.

La’gaan was asleep before his head even touched the pillow.

He stayed asleep for quite a while.

* * *

Luka sighed as his mother’s usual sea shanty turned into a march.

“Get the harpoons and cannons ready! They’ll not be getting the lad without a fight!” Anarka moved to the helm. “We’ll get off the Seine to one of the canals-“

“Mom, we need to get in contact with Ladybug or Chat Noir, Atlanteans are only allowed in Paris for government reasons because of the ban.” Luka objected, then he noticed the part of the map she was looking at. “And we’re banned from St. Martin’s, pick a different one.”

“We’ll contact them after we are moored in safer waters!” Anarka was too far gone to be reasoned with. 

Luka didn’t blame her. The kid might have looked like the creature from the Black Lagoon, but his melody was overtaken with staccatos of fear and stress.

“He’s a lost kid.” Juleka offered. “But we need to keep him safe for now.”

There went his lone ally in this mess, her melody changing to meet their mother’s. Luka sighed. 

“I’m going to have Scales watch him, then. I’ll be on deck in just a moment.” Luka went below deck and found Scales on the nightstand, studying La’gaan, a fork in hand. “He’s lost and hurt, we’re going to be taking care of him. There might be bad people coming after him.” 

Scales looked at him, and then back at La’gaan. The doll’s soft melody changed to something a little more protective.

Scales settled down on the nightstand and held his fork at the ready.

Luka smiled. While he was disappointed that he couldn’t be a hero again, Scales was proof that Ladybug still thought highly of him.

The doll had been made by Marinette, and could occasionally predict the future- not very far, but enough to be a warning for akumas and police when his mother docked illegally.

Hopefully the next few days would be simple enough to flag down Ladybug and get La’gaan back to safety.


	2. Harmony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> La’gaan bonds with the Couffaine’s, and the plot moves forward.

_ La’gaan woke up groggy, his arms were trapped behind his back. _

_ “Get to the hid- base. This one will ...” the words cut in and out, and La’gaan knows that if he doesn’t escape now, he won’t escape at all.  _

_ The moment he ‘puffs’ himself up to break the chains, however, is when he realizes that he probably should have had waited. _

* * *

La’gaan woke with a start. He was surprisingly comfortable not being in water, but it was a bit odd feeling.

Something hissed softly, and he blinked at the tiny doll holding a fork like it was a trident. (Quadent? It had four prongs instead of three... La’gaan pulled his thoughts together.) 

The doll waved the fork at him. 

What that meant, La’gaan didn’t know.

“Sorry, I don’t understand you.” La’gaan moved to sit up, before his body decided ’no, thank you’ and he ended up collapsing back in bed.

Scales rubbed the hand that wasn’t holding the fork on his face. He shouldn’t have expected the stranger to understand him, but he thought waving the fork had conveyed the idea of ‘do not move’. 

The stranger had slept for an entire day, and Scales had been vigilant about potential dangers.

Now he just had to notify his dad.

Scales jumped off the nightstand and rushed to the living room. 

Dad blinked at him from where he was reading on the couch.

‘New one awake. Hurt.’ Scales hissed, and Dad picked him up and headed to the bunks. 

Dad would help.

Luka gently set Scales back on the nightstand. 

“How are you feeling? You were out of it for a while there.”

“I’m fine ... what was I out of?” La’gaan blinked up at him.

“Sorry, that’s an expression meaning you weren’t focused on reality.” Luka explained. “Also can mean you were exhausted.”

“Then I was very out of it.” La’gaan accepted the glass of water. “What is that?”

“He’s Scales, a living doll. My son.” Luka smiled. “He can sometimes see things before they happen, so if you were in danger, he could come get me.”

The Atlantean’s melody was better. Slow and pianissimo, but no longer disjointed staccato bursts. Luka helped him sit up and got him some water.

“I’m La’gaan.” La’gaan introduced himself to the doll, who gave a soft hiss and a wave. “Were you able to contact Superboy?” 

“Not yet. We moved to another part of the city, first. I’m going out tonight to try and flag down Ladybug. Juleka’s out looking for her now. Mom’s on watch upstairs.” Luka explained. “Ladybug and Chat Noir don’t have a set patrol schedule, so it’s difficult to track them down.”

“I understand...” La’gaan’s stomach rumbled.

“I’ve got some food- do you eat seafood like fish?”

“Yes. Only the king talks to fish, for the rest of us, they are like ... sheep? I think is the word.”

“Just checking.” Luka brought a bowl of fish stew for La’gaan and a small cup of it for Scales.

La’gaan was distracted by the way the soup disappeared into the doll’s stitched mouth. “Did you make Scales?”

“No. A friend of mine did. To help protect me.” Luka smiled. The fact Marinette had been commissioned by Ladybug to make the dolls was awesome, even though she couldn’t announce it. “Anything else you want to know?”

By the time Juleka arrived, La’gaan had moved from her bed onto the couch in the living room/galley of the houseboat. Luka had set up some movies.

“The depiction of Atlantis is not accurate... they mangled the name!” La’gaan was bemoaning the Little Mermaid, Scales tucked up against him.

“It’s a fairy tale, not meant to be accurate.” Luka chuckled. “And for most people, it’s the songs they like, not the story.”

“You should try horror.” Juleka offered. “Or action.”

“Juleka.” Luka warned.

“I saw the picture.” La’gaan gestured to the dvds. The Creature from the Black Lagoon was very poorly hidden. “That is a bad movie?”

“It’s actually considered a good movie. But it’s considered a monster movie. The character that looks like you is treated poorly.” Luka explained.

“But there are heroic versions.” Juleka pulled out Hellboy. “And you should see the conventions! Last year one of the attendees got akumatized and it was wicked.” 

“I am confused.” La’gaan blinked at both of them.

“Juleka’s of the opinion that horror movies are enjoyable and that the monsters and killers depicted are the real heroes of the genre.” Luka explained. “Tragic heroes, but heroes.”

Juleka nodded, and pulled out some zombie movies for fun.

She had come a long way from the shy girl in Lycee, modeling had done wonders for her confidence, and she had even done a few acting parts- mostly background stuff, a few times she was a zombie (though she’d only enjoyed one because it had the more realistic make up) but it was fun, once she found her niche. Marinette had an awesome gothic horror dress design. 

“You don’t enjoy those sorts of movies?” La’gaan asked. 

“Not my style. I like musicals- put those back, he’s sixteen and those are not appropriate movies.” Luka sighed.

Juleka huffed and put back Little Shop of Horrors and the Rocky Horror Picture Show. They were classics! And they were technically musicals.

“Don’t traumatize Scales and La’gaan while I’m gone, please.” Luka got up to leave. “From the latest statistics, no one’s been akumatized in this area, don’t make those two the first.”

“I won’t!” Juleka promised. Horror movies weren’t that traumatic anyway, especially the older ones.

They didn’t make it very far through the Black Lagoon before La’gaan had her pause the movie.

“Why aren’t they trying to communicate with him? He’s obviously upset.”

“I don’t think he knows how to communicate- there’s studies done on how isolation can degrade language skills and stuff. If he’s been alone long enough, he probably doesn’t even remember how.”

“That’s awful.” La’gaan blinked. “Do all surface dwellers fear what’s different from them?”

“Not all. But the ones that are scared are the loudest about it.” Juleka explained. “There’s nothing wrong with how you look, you just have to find the place where you’re going to be accepted for who you are, then you’ll be safe to be who you want to be.” Juleka added.

She enjoyed modeling, but she really enjoyed modeling the more abstract and horror based fashion design.

“... It’s just frustrating. Here I am because of the purists, and the surface is just as disgusted of me as they are.”

“That sucks. Jerks are everywhere. But I think you look awesome, and I know people who would think you’re awesome.” She smiled at him. “I’m a model, so I know what I’m talking about.”

“What’s a model?”

“A person hired to be used for reference or display. I model clothes mostly, but I also did a few perfume ads- here.” Juleka showed him her spare portfolio. “I started by modeling for my friend Marinette- she has a website and does commissions. I worked briefly for Gabriel, and I recently did a few perfume ads for Revson. And in the back ... I did some cosplay for a few horror conventions, and I was an extra for a couple movies.” Juleka explained.

“Wow.” La’gaan stared at the pictures. “You don’t even look like you.”

“I know that the movie is kinda a downer- but it’s kinda important to see this one so you can see how interpretations change. Also, so you’re prepared if someone freaks out on you. You’ll like the next movie much better.”

(La’gaan did enjoy the two Hellboy movies. As well as the discussion about movie making in general that followed, even though he fell asleep through it.)

* * *

Anarka Couffaine had decided a long time ago that she would not be held to anymore rules save those that were hers and some version of common sense- such as don’t hurt anyone beyond repair and respect the water, be it river or sea. People were meant to be free, not bound to ridiculous rules.

It was disheartening to learn that below the waves, there were those who judged on appearances, but the lad was safe on board the Liberty and she was not the type to let someone get hurt on her watch.

Morning came, and she reluctantly let Juleka take watch as she went below for some shut-eye, her daughter’s visit extended 

La’gaan was curled up on her daughter’s bunk, Scales cuddled up next to him. He was a kid and had been forced to flee for his life.

Anarka protected her own. Just because she believed in letting her kids live in their own way didn’t mean she wouldn’t jump into a fight to protect them.

She might not be the best mother in the world, but she was definitely not one of the worst.

La’gaan stirred a little as she covered him with a blanket.

“Back to sleep, my hearty, you’re safe.” She whispered.

He curled up a little tighter but didn’t wake.

Anarka made it back to her room and into bed with a sigh. She wasn’t getting any younger.

* * *

La’gaan wakes up to the smell of something burning and got up to see Luka tossing a pan out the porthole.

“Um, what was that?”

“Mom got distracted while making breakfast again.” Luka explained as he glanced out the porthole. “I lost my grip.”

“Marinette’s bad luck rubbed off on you.” Juleka teases as Luka flushed red.

“Marinette... she makes clothes?” La’gaan asked, sitting down.

“Yes, she’s a friend, she and Luka dated for a while.”

“Our melodies drifted apart. It happens.” Luka explained. “She also sewed Scales, though he was commissioned by ... I am an idiot.” Luka realized, pulling out his phone and hitting a contact.

La’gaan accepted a bowl of oatmeal from Juleka.

The conversation Luka had was short, and he ended it with a smile. “Marinette’s coming over- it’ll be easier to explain in person, and she can heal you a bit.”

“She’s trusted?” La’gaan asked, he knew he’d misspoken, but he wasn’t sure what the right word was.

“Marinette does her best to help everyone, she’ll help.”

It took a while before Marinette arrived. She was short, and blinked at La’gaan for a moment during introductions before looking at the Couffaine’s.

“He’s hurt and needs help. He’s not a superhero, just a lost kid from Atlantis... please, Marinette?” Juleka asked.

“I’ll see if the number still works. But first, let’s see what I can heal.” Marinette sat next to him. “I’m not capable of mending bones, but I might be able to heal the rest.”

“Okay.” La’gaan nodded. Marinette gently took his hands in hers and instructed him into a breathing pattern. 

The pain lessened, and Marinette pulled away with a smile.

“That’s the best I can do. I’ll do what I can to reach Ladybug, but it’s probably safer if you don’t reveal he’s here.”

“Why?”

“Have you heard of the Superhero Ban?”

“No. We haven’t learned much about surface laws.” La’gaan admitted.

“Okay, so there was an incident where Ladybug was nearly killed by an akumatized Superhero. As a result of it, Paris banned outside superheroes from entering the city. Now, that said, there’s a little leeway for... extreme emergencies, such as Alien invasions. Since Aquaman is also your king, he can use diplomatic ties to enter the city, he just can’t fight akumas. I believe the same is true of Wonder Woman as ambassador of Themyscria and The Martian Manhunter also doubling as the liaison between Mars and Earth. It’s why Chat Noir and Ladybug didn’t fight the weird plant thing a few months back, but Aquaman and Martian Manhunter did.” Marinette explained. “It’s also why they left as soon as it was down.”

“That sounds terribly complicated.”

“You should have been there when Alya dissected it. For five hours. It took five hours of me being trapped in my own room before she finished explaining how many loopholes there were because of ambassadors wanting at least one hero for protection. That said, Batman and Superman are part of the ‘Not allowed under any circumstances’ clause ... apparently, there was an incident.” Marinette rubbed her temples. “Alya would have a field day with this.” She stood up. “I’ll help you guys out ... but it will probably be late tonight before you hear anything, okay?”

“I’m not going anywhere.” La’gaan felt better, but he had no energy for swimming for his life in the waters of the Seine or whatever the water way was.

“Okay. Oh, want some cookies? I brought a mixed box.” Marinette offered him. “I don’t know what your diet is like though, so ...”

“I’ve heard of cookies!” La’gaan stared at the box in joy. “We have something similar, but Kal-Aqualad says that surface cookies taste sweet. I didn’t know there were so many kinds!”

* * *

Marinette leaves the Liberty with a smile. That was a fun visit... though her next few hours are going to be spent doing the thing she didn’t want to do, which was go to Aqualad and Aquaman and inform them that there were atlanteans trying to kill children.

This was going to be an international incident no matter what she did.

“You can do this, Marinette!” Tikki whispered.

“Right ... let’s go.”

* * *

Leagues away but closing in, the Ocean Master’s purists searched the English Channel.

“He was injured, he couldn’t have gone far.” One of their initiates insisted.

“He could already be dead.” Another added, brushing his dark hair out of his eyes. “There was a lot of blood.” He added with a tinge of uncertainty.

“Or he’s found a way to contact Aquaman and Aqualad.” 

Both startled as the Ocean Master himself appeared behind them. 

“Sir! We’re going to start sending scouts up the rivers.” A nearby soldier saluted.

“Excellent. You can take these two up the Seine so they can learn how important purity is.” Ocean Master gestured to the two initiates. “What are your names?”

“M’Chiste.” The first one said.

“Wynnde.” The dark haired one bowed.

“Don’t fail me.” Was the only warning they would ever get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, in the tie in comics, Wynnde is part of the Ocean Masters purists and isn’t shown getting pardoned at the end of the story like Ronal, a fellow classmate who was a purist but switched sides.
> 
> This is me trying to bridge the gap between what we see in the comics and the third season of the show where Aqualad is now dating the guy. He’s getting character development whether he wants it or not.
> 
> A note on the superhero ban- it’s actually centered around Paris and the akumas, and since certain members of the league are royalty, they can’t be totally banned from the country of France without causing trouble.
> 
> This is also to cover the fact that in season one, Martian Manhunter and Aquaman are the two who deal with the joker tree in Paris. Which is apparently an elephant that I only recently noticed was in the room.


End file.
